Advanced WiFi Routers Power Spectrum’s Converged Connectivity Experience

Spectrum recently began deploying WiFi 6E routers to select Internet customers throughout its 41-state service area. Along with WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 routers that are already available, these powerful devices are the driving force behind Spectrum’s Advanced WiFi product and the features that give Spectrum Internet and Mobile customers the speed, coverage, reliability, security, and control they demand.

We spoke with Dave Rodrian, Charter’s Group Vice President of WiFi Products, to talk about the latest in WiFi technology and how it is integral to the customer’s converged connectivity experience.

Q: How has WiFi technology progressed and what does Spectrum have planned?

Spectrum’s WiFi 6E routers offer the latest in WiFi technology and support speeds up to 2 Gbps. As with the WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 routers that are already available to our Advanced WiFi customers, these devices are the key to unlocking the features of our wireless connectivity services, including faster speeds, improved latency, enhanced customer control, greater coverage, and dependable security.

WiFi technology is progressing rapidly and, while we recently began deploying our first WiFi 6E router, we are already looking ahead to WiFi 7, which can support speeds up to 10 Gbps. We expect to have WiFi 7 routers available in the first half of 2024.

Simply said, our converged connectivity experience is driven by our Advanced WiFi product evolution.

Q: How does Spectrum Security Shield deliver security and control to Advanced WiFi customers?

Spectrum launched Security Shield in 2022 as part of Advanced WiFi. It is an automatically-enabled security feature that works to defend our customers and their devices from online threats by detecting and blocking malicious websites, phishing scams, data theft and internet-originated attacks against devices in the home. There are nearly 500 million devices connected to our network and, through May of this year, Security Shield has protected those devices from more than 1.6 billion threats.

In addition to security, customers also have the added benefit of control that comes with Advanced WiFi. Via the My Spectrum App, customers can manage their Security Shield preferences, approving which devices are connected to the network as well as advanced features like grouping, scheduling, and manually pausing internet access.

Q: What can customers do to maximize the coverage in their home?

We have greatly expanded the availability of Spectrum WiFi Pods since initially launching in 2021. They are a simple way to extend the coverage of a home WiFi network and very popular with our customers. Customers can now order and self-install these easy-to-use devices via our website, at a Spectrum store or through the My Spectrum App. The Pods can be shipped to a customer’s home where they simply plug into an electrical outlet and automatically pair with the Advanced WiFi router, extending the coverage of the existing WiFi network to every corner of the home.

Q: How do Spectrum Mobile customers benefit from Advanced WiFi?

Our Advanced WiFi service is critical to enabling a seamless, converged connectivity experience with Spectrum Mobile. In fact, more than 85% of traffic on our customers’ mobile devices is delivered using WiFi. Advanced WiFi is designed with this in mind, working hand-in-hand with our mobile service to give Spectrum Mobile customers even faster data speeds while also saving money.

When connected to Advanced WiFi at home, Spectrum Mobile phones are boosted to get even faster speeds delivered by Speed Boost. When outside their home, Spectrum Mobile customers automatically connect to Spectrum WiFi access points via our Spectrum Mobile SSID. This secure and seamless connection delivers extremely fast speeds while also saving customers money by ensuring they are using WiFi when possible.

More information on Spectrum Advanced WiFi can be found here.